Uzbekistan Tours:
Tour "Crafts of Uzbekistan"

In everyday terms, in our house we are surrounded by soulless objects made on the production line in large quantities. Such thing has no its past, no creator and no future.Think about what things are around you?Do you smile when looking at the thing in your house? Does it make your life warmer and happier?

Tashkent

Excursion through Tashkent: The strong earthquake in Tashkent in 1966 completely destroyed Old City, but that little what was saved makes a strong contrast with the architecture of modern Tashkent.

Old city:

Hazret Imam square (16 centuries)

mausoleum of Kaffal al- Shashi (16 century)

medreseh Barak-khan (15-16 centuries)

mosque of Namazgoh (19 century)

mosque of Tilya-sheikh (19 century)

building of Alisher Navoi theatre

mausoleum of Sheikh Abdulkasym (19 century)

monument of Alisher Navoi and park with artificial lake

memorial to victims of reprisals

memorial to victims of earthquake

Independence square

Visit workshop of the hereditary ceramic masters Rahimovs.

Weavers' workshop: dyeing fabrics, the production on handmade looms of the national fabrics of silk and cotton: satin, adras. Here children are taught ancient craft.

Dinner (dinner is possible at well-known Uzbek artist and designer, familiar with his and his works,and his wife's, who embroidered beautiful tapestries. At will You can acquire liked works. Dinner must be ordered in advance).

Overnight.

Day 2

Tashkent - Kokand - rishtan - Fergana (360
km)

Early morning transfer to Kokand through the scenic mountain pass (270 km). Meet your guide in the training center named after K. Haydarov. Acquaintance with the Fergana school of woodcarving.

Tour to Kokand:

Palace of Khudoyar Khan (19 century).

Necropolis of Sarymodor (early 19 th century).

Transfer to Rishtan (40 km).

Rishtan - a small town, which is known far beyond the borders of Uzbekistan, as a center of pottery production. Several generations of ceramic artists involved in this kind of craft in Rishtan.

The house-workshop of Rustam Usmanov. Rishtan - a small town, which is known far beyond the borders of Uzbekistan, as a center of pottery production. Several generations of ceramic artists involved in this kind of craft in Rishtan.
The house-workshop of Rustam Usmanov. Small single-storey house is very cozy. All items of interior rooms, courtyard, overgrown with vines, indicate that the owner of the house-creative nature. The walls are decorated with lagans (dishes), artfully arranged around painted teapots, cups, spit.
In the far corner of the courtyard there is a workshop. Here, on the potter's wheel, a product is born, which, after drying, is glazed and then fired. In the museum of ceramics created by Rustam-aka (in his best room), are demonstrated works by artists ages 18-19, pottery of contemporary ceramists. On a large platter, made by a remarkable craftsman Leonid Galkin, are inscription of Arabic script: "A man dies, but his deeds remain”.

The workshop of Alisher Nazirov, The workshop of Alisher Nazirov, who heads the school of traditional ceramics. The school opened a museum of ceramics. Here collected ceramics from different areas of Uzbekistan: Rishtan, Gijduvan, urgut, Tashkent, Samarkand, Khorezm.
For those who want there are offered 5-days program of training of pottery making with living in Rishtan.

Transfer to Fergana (50 km). Accommodation at the hotel.
Dinner at the restaurant "Tantana" (fashion show of local designers, with the use of hand-woven fabrics, folk concert).
Overnight.

Day 3

Fergana - Margilan - Chust - Tashkent
(370 km)

Breakfast. Sightseeing tour of Fergana.

Transfer to Margilan (20km).

Margilan - an ancient city, which in 2007 celebrated its 2000 - year anniversary.

Margilan is the center of the traditional silkweaving of Uzbekistan. Fashionable dresses, jackets, suits are sewn from the famous Marghilan fabrics hon-atlas, adras, shoi, colored calico.

The city has a functioning factory of the production of silk fabrics "Yodgorlik”.
In this factory you can observe the entire process of making silk fabrics.
Here are produced various fabrics: adras, it has a 50% silk and 50% cotton; the fabric "shoi" - silk, famous hon-atlas.

Besides this there are many small silk-private enterprises in the city.
One of them belongs to the family Dadajonov. Fazliddin Dadajonov is a head of this enterprise He is 44 years old. He is a hereditary weaver in the 4th generation.

25 operations precede the release of finished products. Raw materials are obtained from the silk-spinning factory. It is thoroughly cleaned with bleach, then dried.
Threads that have passed such elaboration, are wound on spools.

As many colors in the fabric, as many times the threads are painted. Beginning, usually with bright colors, and finishing with dark ones. Then the threads of required colors are picked up and bound together by free rings. The following process is tightening the threads on a special frame for drawing on them. Places, where the picture is different, pull very threads, and then paint again. After drying, the threads are pulled again and loosened pulled places. This is a preliminary preparation of threads before they get on the loom.

At the loom for producing 1 cm fabric with width from 38 to 45 cm is used 4 meters of thread.

Mirzaakhmedovs from Margilan are weavers in 9th generation. The whole family work on their small enterprise: Mahmud, Umida, Feruza, Fozili. Muborak apa is at the head of the family business. She is 54 years old.
Fabrics of this small enterprise will not be seen on the market. They are dismantled from the house, they work to order.

The fabric "alo bahmal" delights the eye with bright colors of the rainbow. The work is very laborious. There is wooven fabric of 70 cm per a day, with a width of 35 cm. To 2000 anniversary of Margilon the family devoted the fabric "atlas" of special colors.
The produce of the family-run enterprise is readily taken away to distant Europe. So, now Mirzaakhmedov are preparing fabrics to send to France for tailoring of men's cloth ties.

Fabrics that are woven in Margilan, are handwork. And for dyeing yarn there are used natural dyes. For example, usma gives a green colour (usma is a plant which leaves resemble sorrel, Oriental fashionable-women use it for painting eyebrows, eyelashes). Black mulberry: "Tuta" gives a violet color. Different shades of brown are received of shells, flowers, leaves, roots of walnut. The shell of red onion gives shades of yellow, orange.
pomegranate-peel is used to produce red, maroon color. Sawdust iron give black.
After dyeing, yarn is placed in a solution of alum, to fix the paint.

Transfer to Chust (70 km). Lunch at chaykhana.

Chust is interesting for its famous tea house, located in the midst of trees in the park. It was built in the form of tiers. Such a house in 6 floors, filled with temporary residents, who, sitting with a few tables on soft kurpachah, talk, drink tea, eat watermelon, melon. The peculiarity of the teahouse is that there pilaf is prepared only to order. This is a favorite place of Chust people for having rest. And visitors do not deny themselves the pleasure of eating tasty pilaf, observe the customs of local residents.

Chust also became famous for its skull-cap. The entire male population of Uzbekistan wear them.
In Chust all women sew skullcaps. Even something such as women's clubs are organized. They gather at somebody's house, sit in a circle and tell each other stories, sing songs, dance incendiary folk dances.

On black-white background of the skullcaps are shown 4 elements: water, fire, earth, air. If we look carefully at Chust skullcap, we can see small lines, made by hand. This is a very laborious work.

Visit the blacksmith shop, where, in front of you, a simple piece of iron is transformed into an elegant sword, sharp knife.

Transfer to Tashkent (270 km). Accommodation at the hotel.

Dinner. Overnight.

Day 4

Tashkent - Urgut - Samarkand
(440 km)

Breakfast. Transfer to Urgut town under Samarkand.

Hera you see hoary oaks, whigh are 400 years old, and graves of sufistic mystics. As well as you see here spring of holy water, which has healing power.

Visiting the house of ceramics master. Demonstration of making ceramic produce: jugs, plates, tea-pots. Visiting pottery and museum of ceramic produce.
If you wish you can make a jug by your own hands.

Visiting the house of handicraftswoman of 95 years old, who has been painting cradles over 65 years.

Transfer to Samarkand (40 km).
Dinner at national restaurant.

Visiting association of craftsmen “Meros”: musical workshop, pottery, master-class; next day the thing, made by tourist, be dried in the oven and the tourist can take it in memory of Samarkand.Process of making samarkand’s paper by ancient restored technology.

Dinner. Overnight.

Day 5

Samarkand

Breakfast.
Tour of Samarkand - one of the most majestic cities of Uzbekistan, the beloved capital of the great Tamerlane:

Gur-Emir Mausoleum (14-15 centuries), which houses the tomb of Tamerlane and his family.

At will you can visit a carpet factory “Khudjum ", where you can learn
the technology of manufacturing and purchase unique silk carpets from the manufacturer.

Continue tour:

Bibi Khanum Mosque (14 century), built in honor of the beloved wife of Tamerlane.

Ulugbek Observatory (15 century) - astronomer, scientist, ruler, beloved grandson of Tamerlane, who was killed on the orders of his son.

Mausoleum of saint Daud. According to legend, Tamerlane in his campaign to Asia Minor, made a pilgrimage to the mausoleum of the saint and decided that his capital Samarkand should be rich and prosperous too, and the remains of the saint with great honors sent to Samarkand.

Dinner at Mubaro-opa's house. Overnight.

Day 6

Samarkand - Shahrisabz - Bukhara (140+298
km)

Breakfast.
Transfer to Shahrisabz (100 êm) through picturesque mountain pass (only for cars).
If the pass is closed, then moved to the bypass road (140 km).
In this case, at will you may visit the house of original carpetweaver Sharif bobo, where you can have a rest and green tea with eastern sweeties, and will familiarise with the Karshinsky method of carpetweaving from a pure sheep wool, with possibility of acquisition of the pleasant samples.

Bukhara

Breakfast.
Excursion to The Old City: Bukhara has kept a medieval lay-out thanks to what each building, each house on its curve narrow small streets bears in itself charm of olden time. Here time borders are erased, here lose sensation of time … the City architecture includes acquaintance to such monuments, as:

Visiting the centre of Development of Bukhara’s crafts, located in a caravan-saray Sajfiddin. Crafts: weaver's workshop, woodcarving, stamping, painting on a tree, Central Asian miniature, carpetweaving (from time immemorial, from generation to generation, secrets of skill of handicraftsmen were transferred. This tradition is alive until now)..

The Mosque of Magoki Attori (12-16 centuries), was built where in ancient time were temples of fireworshipers - one of 3 monuments in Bukhara, left intact afterr Chingizkhan’s invasion.

Caravan-sarays of Bukhara

Tim of Abdullakhan (16 centuries), the covered market used for trade by expensive silk fabrics. Here you can see once more the artisanal method of manufacture of national silk fabrics.

Gold embroidery. Acquaintance with the craft.

The Madrasah of Ulugbek (15 centuries), constructed by Tamerlans grandson. At the entrance there you can see an inscription in Arabian , words of prophet Mohammed: «Aspiration for knowledge - a duty of each muslim man and woman»

The Madrasah of Abdullazizkhan (17 centuries)

Kalyan Mosque (16 centuries)

Functioning madrasah Mir-i-Arab (16 centuries), where studied the head mufti of Russian Moslems Ravil Gajnuddin and decedent president of the Chechen Republic Ahmad Kadyrov, who was mufti before.

Minaret Kaljan - symbol of Bukhara, throughout centuries served as a beacon for caravans in the desert, which made their way to Bukhara. Other name of a minaret - «death tower», according to one of legends, in mediaeval time from this minaret were thrown down adulteresses and bukhara-freethinkers.

Carpet making workshop. Acquaintance with the process of manufacture of Persian silk and wool carpets (Turkmen, Bukhara Ornament).

Lunch.

Continue excursion:

Ark-Citadel - majestic fortress, the habitat of governors of Bukhara, stronghold of might and power (1 century BC - 19 centuries).

The Bolo-Hauz Mosque (18 centuries).

The Mausoleum of Chashma Ayub (12 - 16 centuries), inside which there are a spring of healing water of saint Iova (Ayuba).

Visit markets: fruit, dried fruits, nuts, spices, embroidery.

The Mausoleum of Samanids (10 centuries) - pearl of Central asian architecture, family tomb of Samanids’ dynasty. Here, in this park artisans-stampers are working.

Sitora-i-mohi Hosa (4 km from Bukhara) - a summer palace of last emir of Bukhara (19 centuries). The only museum of handmade Susane (national embroidered bedspreads) in Uzbekistan.

At 19:00 a folklore concert in age-old madrasah “Nodir Devan Begi”. The ancient building of 16 centuries, where the concert take place, is one of the most beautiful and richly decorated madrasah. During the concert you will see performance of the national philharmonic society, performing national Uzbek dances in live musical accompaniment, and the demonstration of fashionable clothes made from handwork fabrics with national elements - harvest of creative imagination of Bukhara designers.